


Here Comes a Hurricane

by auroreanrave



Category: American Horror Story
Genre: Aftermath, F/M, Female Character of Color, Friendship, Friendship is Magic, Potential Spoilers, Recovery, Witches, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-31 03:10:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auroreanrave/pseuds/auroreanrave
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the battle, Nan finds herself the new Supreme and must rebuild her coven in her own way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here Comes a Hurricane

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Supreme](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020664) by [klutzy_girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzy_girl/pseuds/klutzy_girl). 



> Pure speculation as to the future ending of 'American Horror Story: Coven'. No intentional spoilers, although it does take place post episode 3.04 'Fearful Pranks Ensue'. Tulane University has some fantastic courses as mentioned, but there is no affiliation on my behalf with the organisation.
> 
> Written due to being inspired by 'Supreme' by klutzy_girl and her wonderful exploration of Nan (in my opinion, possibly the best student character) as potentially the future next Supreme. I recommend her work heartily.

_I don’t look for trouble_

_But trouble looks for me_

_And it’s been waiting around corners_

_Since I was seventeen..._

"Trouble", Neon Jungle

 

  
_  
_**i.**

Nan is almost twenty when she finally realises that she is the new Supreme.

She's spent nearly eighteen months at Miss Robichaux's Academy and seen more than her fair share of friends and classmates die in the interim (Dana with a bullet to the back of her head, Romy with her body burnt at an industrial estate, Michele with her throat slit and dumped in the bayou), when Zoe arrives and for some reason all seems to break loose.

However, it's also at the same time that she meets Luke, and she feels that fluttery warmth in her chest that she wants to keep and treasure forever, so she misses the first surges of power that makes the Supreme. She _really_ should have known better. 

 

 

 

 

**ii.**

In the future, when the dust has settled, Fiona is dead, LaLaurie is dead, Spalding is dead, Nan is the new Supreme, and the Coven is scattered.

Nan has a lot of work to do.

 

 

 

 

**iii.**

In the aftermath of the battles, Nan's first order of business isn't to rebuild her walls. It's to find truces.

Marie Laveau's shop - Cornrow City, Nan thinks the name is cute - is much quieter and cooler than when she expected when she walks in.

Marie looks up from a customer's gently teased afro, and grimaces at the sight of her.

"Uh huh. We gonna start all this again?"

Nan offers a hand in something close to a friendly wave. "Hi. I'm Nan. The new Supreme. I want to talk. Properly, I mean."

"And what if I were to just go ahead and bash your little head in, little girl?"

"Then you'd just be continuing a war that we've lost too many on either side. I'm not about that. The Supreme... Fiona, she didn't have a lot of the coven's best interests at heart. Not all of them. And you could totally go ahead and kill me, but you don't want that. You've lost your boyfriend, your children, your children's children, your friends. I want us to end this once and for all."

Marie considers this for a long minute, before turning to one of her assistants. "Take care of Shonda's hair. I got this one to see to."

Sitting in the chair in the back room, Nan finds Marie sorting out her hair - she didn't ask for a haircut, but it's been a long time since she found the time to consider her hair, let alone anything to really do with it, so she's not complaining. "So what are the deals of the truce? No crossing your territory, no crossing mine?"

"Actually... you have complete permission to come over."

Marie pauses in her ministrations, arching one perfectly groomed eyebrow. Nan freezes, and then continues, swallowing down a sudden hot burst of fear in her throat.

"The way I see it, we witches are a dying breed. Regardless of whose lines you fall on. Witchcraft, voodoo, whatever. The point is... we know that survival isn't the only option right now. Collaboration. If you ever need counsel or sanctuary for you or anyone in your group... I will provide that at the Academy. If anyone tries to attack your group, you can call on us for support."

"Damn, girl... you sure a million miles away from the blonde bitch." Nan thinks she detects a hint of respect in Marie's voice. The older woman pauses, moving a heavy chunk of Nan's hair away before she responds.

"Okay. I will agree to these... conditions on a trial basis. Lord knows this city ain't what it used to be and I... I'm tired of all the blood that seems to seep out of every crack in every building. And, although I may live to regret this, any of your girls find themselves stuck out here and in need of somewhere to hide out, tell 'em they can come here. Don't go expecting the fancy teas or red carpet or nothing, mind."

Nan smiles at Marie, and for the briefest of moments, she thinks Madame Laveau might actually reciprocate. 

 

 

 

 

**iv.**

Next, Nan finds Queenie in her bedroom, half-dozing on her bed. Her copies of _The Bell Jar_  and _Gift From The Sea_ and  _Ariel_ and  _The Canterville Ghost_ pile high on her bedside table, well thumbed and loved.

"I have a proposition for you." Nan sits down on the side of the bed, Queenie's eyes moving up to find her form.

"I'm not into girls, Nan. No offense."

"Not like that, silly. I have a proposition. Now that I have access to the coven's funds and the Council are willing to let me invest it however I choose, I've decided to invest in funds for college." Nan smiles, presenting Queenie with a handful of thick brochures.

"What is this?"

"I know you wanted to go to college. And that you were good enough. AP classes, honour roll, great attendance. And I want to support that. The University of New Orleans has a good math program and Tulane have some fantastic law and science programs."

Queenie sits up properly, taking the brochures from Nan's hand. "Why are you doing this?"

Nan shrugs. "I care about you. And I want you to achieve your dreams. You have so much potential, even without your gift. However, I do want something in exchange."

"What?"

"I want you to stay here and continue to work on your gifts. We might not be fighting the voodoo section right now, but there are darker forces out there, and I need everyone to be on their best. I can make sure you get every opportunity, but I need you also to be one of my best generals."

It's not the most inspiring speech that's ever been echoed throughout Miss Robichaux's Academy, but even if Nan did spend half an hour on YouTube practising her proposal, she thinks it came out rather well.

"Their science program is really good. Let me think about." Queenie lends Nan a small, warm smile, and Nan knows that Queenie's in. 

 

 

 

 

**v.**

"I won't be able to restore everything," Nan notes as she crouches before the jerky form of Kyle, "but I can make him a lot better. I promise."

Beside her, Zoe nods, her pale artistic hands clutching her elbows in something Nan thinks is supposed to be a comforting gesture. The living room is quiet, nearly silent. Queenie is out on her tours of the various Tulane schools and campuses and Cordelia barely leaves her room anymore.

"That's fine, please, just..." Zoe looks close to tears. Nan nods, holding Kyle's head in her hands and _pushes_.

Slipping into her clairvoyancy once she was able to control it, is much easier now and feels almost like sliding gracefully into a warm bath, filling her up.

Thoughts like scurrying rats assault her mind almost at once - snatches of _help me, oh God, what is this, Zoe, Zoe, this isn't me, someone kill me_ , take her breath away.

A moment later, she finds the hub of the noise and almost as if she could touch it with her hands, channels it all into two or three paths rather than the dozens of routes. The voices quieten down immediately, a wave of relief washing over her.

Kyle looks up, something bright and human in his eyes, and looks over Nan's shoulder to Zoe who starts forward.

"Thank you. Thank you, Nan. I - "

"Remember what I asked, Zoe." Nan's voice is much firmer than she feels, shuffling back until she lands in one of the gloriously comfortable chairs. "You can keep him here, but I need you to work and study. Deal?"

Zoe nods, forehead pressing against Kyle's, and Nan considers a leisurely nap as her reward. 

 

 

 

 

**vi.**

Cordelia is, surprisingly, the easiest to win around.

Nan presses her fingers to Cordelia's face and removes those scars and burns that Fiona's fading power simply hadn't been able to remove. Cordelia has never been vain, never needed the same kind of validation that physical allure can provide that her mother had craved, but the sheer destruction of her face had forced into her a self-imposed isolation, particularly once Hank's secrets had been revealed and he removed from the face of the Earth.

Moments later, Nan turns to Cordelia, who was staring in wonder at the bathroom mirror's reflection. The bright lights in the clean, white bathroom make everything glow and seem more radiant. "I need you to open up the lab again. And the arboretum. We need more potions and compounds than ever."

Cordelia pauses, worry in her newly-restored face. "I don't know if I can."

"You're not alone. You have us. You're a great teacher and headmistress, and I want you to continue that. Everyone deserves a second chance."

Nan places the pamphlet and number for a local adoption agency on the bathroom counter next to the new, unopened basket of Clinique products, and leaves to go and catch up on her soaps.

 

 

 

 

  **vii.**

Luke finds her in the garden one balmy spring evening. The springs in New Orleans are almost as warm as the summers further north, so Nan takes the opportunity to sit out in the backyard with a pot of her favourite tea and a thick slice of red velvet cake (the bakeries in New Orleans are wonderful, but she likes to bake with her free time) while everyone else is busy. Queenie is in her classes (major in mathematics, minors in psychology and cell and molecular biology, Nan feels tremendously proud) and Zoe's finishing up her GED history tutorials. Cordelia is busy in her laboratory, getting back to her work.

He's all sweaty from the sudden warm temperatures and shuffling towards her with a look of timid sweetness and that lopsided smile that made her want him in the first place.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Enjoying the evening?"

"It's nice this time of year. Warm enough to enjoy the outdoors, but not too hot. Where've you been?"

Luke shuffles his feet. "I needed time to think. You know... after everything that happened. My mom's back in Nashville, she let me have the house. I came here to study, and... and find you. Talk to you again, if you still..."

Nan hides an unconscious blush by taking a sip from her tea. She has a full life here - she's rebuilding the coven brick by brick, restoring what she needed to and fixing what she wants to. She doesn't need a relationship with this simple, sweet man.

"Take a seat," she tells Luke with a broad smile and an assessing look of his firm ass, "I'll find you a slice of cake." 

 

 

 

 

**viii.**

Nan goes to Misty next, takes Zoe along with her, and soon is regretting wearing her longest dress to the warmest bayou in the whole of New Orleans. She is _absolutely_ investing in less clingy fabrics for her wardrobe for the future.

"You want me to join?" Misty is two parts cynicism and one part optimistic hope. Nan remembers being like her - scared of the world that weeds out the unusual, the weird, and sets into tearing it apart.

"You're special and we need someone like you. Someone strong and kind. I know this isn't what you're used to, but you'd have a home. Be with sisters who would love and protect you." Nan looks around Misty's shack. There's nothing much here, scraps of fabric and records, and Nan thinks she'd be happy at the Academy. She'll bring music and joy and something more to those bare white walls.

Misty's face lights up. "Can I bring my records?"

Zoe smiles, looking to Nan. "Of course." 

 

 

 

 

**ix.**

Zoe and Cordelia lay out Madison's body, her pale skin smeared with the potions from Cordelia's laboratory and the special brand of Louisiana mud from Misty's trove. The mud has helped maintain her physical form, the potions to help kickstart the process. Nan hopes it doesn't stain the wood flooring - she'll have to scrub at that later.

Nan turns to Misty and takes her hand. "Are you ready?"

Misty bites her lip, sways a little and tugs at a lock at her tangled hair. No matter how much she brushes and uses the power showers at the Academy, her hair always ends up messed up. "I ain't sure. She been dead for a long, long time."

"I believe in you, Misty. We all do. Your sisters." Nan looks around for support and finds the kind of supportive smiles that she hoped for from Cordelia and Zoe.

Misty smiles and gets down on her knees. Smoothes her hands over Madison's collarbones and pushes. A thrill of power brushes across everyone in the room, the fire in the fireplace flickering and crackling fiercely.

Misty's eyes turn white for a moment, her breath hitching in her chest. The potions flash away in an instant, the Louisiana mud caking thick on Madison's thighs and stomach, and a second later, Madison's eyes snap open.

"Jesus, fuck! What the - fuck!" She coughs, rolling onto her side and starts to dry heave, a month's worth of dust and mud and shit forcing it's way out of her lungs.

"On the plus side," Misty notes sweetly, "that little heart thingy of yours has gone."

Madison just manages to roll her eyes - because even though she's recently resurrected, she's still _Madison Mont-fucking-gomery_ \- and continues to heave onto the wood flooring. 

 

 

 

 

**x.**

Luke is sweet and gentle, the first time they make love. She knows it's his first time and wants it to be special for him. He's shy and asks for candles and soft lighting and Nan's heart nearly bursts with affection for this tall. handsome sweetheart.

When it's over, he snuggles next to her, so wide-eyed and in love that it's all Nan can do to lean over and kiss him and that's when she _finally_ stops being able to listen inside his head.

No more half-thoughts about missing his momma or praying for strength or thinking how pretty he thinks Nan is. Just blissful, inviting quiet.

Nan's never been so grateful for a loss in her life. 

 

 

 

 

  
**xi.**  

"That boy of yours," Marie smirks over the top of Nan's head, scissors in hand, "he's been good for you. Getting laid makes you _glow_ , girl."

Nan blushes, mortified and pleased in equal measure, and buries herself in reading this month's _Cosmo_. 

 

 

 

 

**xii.**

More girls start arriving courtesy of Myrtle and the Council. Danielle, from California, can freeze anything; Claire can transform into a bird; Soledad can slow down time. Clearly the walls were never meant to stay white without some painting.

Everything starts to happen again, slowly and surely.

Zoe passes her GED and the five of them - Misty, Madison, Queenie, Zoe and herself - spend a night in the various clubs around the area with fake IDs and tons of cheap booze. Turns out being the Supreme does not make her immune to alcohol, and Luke is sweet enough to give her a shower and an Alka-Seltzer when they get in at 4am.

Kyle moves into his own place and with the help of Cordelia's potions, is more or less a normal functioning human being. He and Zoe work through things, slowly and satisfyingly. Nan is hopeful about them, knows that Zoe has limitless patience and power.

Madison stays, despite the wishes of her agent, and ends up hosting an impromptu acting workshop amongst some of the other new girls. Nan hears that they might end up doing _A Streetcar Named Desire_ in the summer. Madison looks happier, even if her barbs and retorts are still razors.

Misty teaches the girls about controlling their powers in a trance and delirium state. making them sway to Fleetwood Mac turned up to eleven, until Nan swears she can sing the words to 'Rhiannon' in her dreams. She smiles a lot more every day.

Cordelia finds a local girl through the adoption agency - a fourteen-year-old black teenager named Sasha who likes Jason Statham action movies and Sachertorte - and looks forward to the days when they get to be together. Queenie gets her spot on the honour roll and finds herself the go-to candidate for every mathematics internship going.

Nan still gets her hair cut at Marie's once a month. Witchcraft is almost never discussed.

Nan knows that one day, Luke will take her to the garden and propose. He'll bring her favourite flowers and fumble over the words and maybe forget something and that it'll be perfect. She knows she'll say yes and be happier than she thought possible, full of contentment with what she does, and that the world will keep on spinning and be a little brighter. 

 

 

 

 

**xiii.**

Nan is the Supreme and the world is _so_ much better for it.


End file.
